Friendly Persuasion

William Wyler is some kind of genius. Who else could have made Friendly Persuasion (1956), a quaint slice of Americana, such a moving and enjoyable film?

Jess Birdwell (Gary Cooper) and his minister wife Eliza (Dorothy McGuire) are Quakers living in 1862 Indiana. Despite entreaties to join the Union Army, Jess and Eliza refuse to allow their son Josh (Anthony Perkins) - though they yield to minor temptations, like attending a county fair or buying an organ. Things come to a head, however, when John Morgan's Rebel cavalry arrives in the region, and Jess, Josh and their fellow Quakers must decide whether it's worth fighting to defend their homes.

Friendly Persuasion could easily have gone wrong. The film's imitators (Shenandoah, The Patriot) show how easily it is to foul up a story about pacifism, and the cornpone melodrama (complete with Pat Boone ballad!) seems ripe for derision. But Wyler is a master of melodrama, and the movie rarely drags even at its 137-minute length. Besides its utterly beautiful, idyllic Technicolor photography and a rich Dimitri Tiomkin score, its sensitive handling of a tough issue, believable family dynamics and well-crafted drama make it a joy to watch. The movie has some hilarious comic relief, as when Jess shouts down the sound of his daughter (Phyllis Love) playing an organ with over-emphatic prayer, and little Jess's (Richard Eyer) running feud with Samantha the Goose. A few scenes go on too long (especially the "sinful" county fair) but it's such a pleasure that you won't really mind.

Michael Wilson's script avoids stereotype and cliche. The Quakers are vividly rendered, making very relatable protagonists despite their unique religious convictions, and Wyler and Wilson avoid condescension or idealization. (Just compare these Quakers to Grace Kelly in High Noon.) The movie sides with the Quakers' convictions, but the arrival of the Civil War makes things painfully complicated. Unlike James Stewart or Mel Gibson in the aforementioned films, Jess's temptation to violence is extremely difficult, and his confrontation with a Rebel straggler has an unexpected ending. Josh and (in a more comic fashion) Eliza face similar challenges, whether on the battlefield or in their own home. Pacifism is an admirable idea, but is it the right course when enemy troops burn down your home and kill your friends?

Gary Cooper was probably never better than here. His two-fisted tough guy persona fits Jess perfectly, channeling his slow-boiling anger into an intense inner struggle. Dorothy McGuire gives a sensitive performance as the loving mother and wife who's closest to the Quaker ideal. Anthony Perkins does his best work outside of Psycho, showing a range he rarely displayed. Robert Middleton gets a nice supporting role as a goofy family friend who becomes noble in a crisis, and Peter Mark Richman and Phyllis Love make a nice impression as the film's young lovers. Marjorie Main (Ma and Pa Kettle) has a fun cameo as a feisty frontier widow with some randy daughters. Richard Eyer is an obnoxious little boy but that was all the rage in '50s Hollywood (see Shane).

Friendly Persuasion scores as a period melodrama and a thoughtful examination of pacifism. By avoiding easy answers or stereotypes, it's both thoughtful and extremely entertaining.

Want an actually insightful commentary on the film? Check out Moira's article here.